Unable to disable next generation Java Plug-in

I've run into an issue where I was unable to disable the next-generation Java Plug-in via the Java Control Panel.  This is with JRE1.6 x64.

I found several cries for help on this issue even on the Microsoft forums where they say to visit the Java site even for Microsoft products.

One page I found suggested editing the registry and set a DWORD setting to 0.

This key is:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Plug-in\1.6.0_21\UseNewJavaPlugin

Setting this to 0 will resolve the issue, however, it will return to a value of 1 the next time the Java Control Panel runs.

Further investigation by running the Java Control Panel and attempting to remove the check from the check box for the next-generation Java Plug-in via a mouse was futile because it appears to not accept mouse input in its visibly disabled state.

I put on my work hat and decided to see if the UI would accept input via the keyboard.

This worked.  By using the keyboard to navigate to the Enabled... check box, and hitting the space bar, I was able to disable the plug-in.